| Name: | Chicken Polyclonal Antibody to Myelin Basic Protein, MBP |
| Immunogen: | Purified myelin basic protein isolated from bovine brain |
| HGNC Name: | MBP |
| UniProt: | P02687 |
| Molecular Weight: | 14, 17, 18.5 and 21.5kDa in rodent |
| Host: | Chicken |
| Isotype: | |
| Species Cross-Reactivity: | Human, rat, mouse, cow, pig |
| RRID: | AB_2572352 |
| Format: | Concentrated IgY preparation in PBS plus 0.02% NaN3 |
| Applications: | WB, IF/ICC, IHC |
| Recommended Dilutions: | WB: 1:10,000. IF/ICC 1:2,000 and IHC: 1:20,000. |
| Storage: | Store at 4°C. |
Immunofluorescent analysis of rat brain cerebellum section stained with chicken pAb to Myelin Basic Protein (MBP), CPCA-MBP, dilution 1:5,000 in red, and costained with moue mAb to calbindin, MCA-4H7, MCA-4H7, dilution 1:5,000 in green. The blue is Hoechst staining of nuclear DNA. The MBP antibody stains myelin sheath around axons, while the calbindin antibody prominently labels dendrites and perikarya of Purkinje cells in the molecular layer of the cerebellum.
Western blot analysis of different tissue lysates using chicken pAb to MBP, CPCA-MBP, dilution 1:10,000 in green: [1] protein standard (red) and extracts of [2] rat brain, [3] rat spinal cord, [4] mouse brain, and [5] mouse spinal cord. Bands between 15-25kDa correspond to the four major alternate transcripts from the MBP gene.
Chicken Polyclonal Antibody to MBP
Cat# CPCA-MBP
$120.00 – $800.00
Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) is one of the major proteins of the myelin sheath surrounding axons in the nervous system. Since it is of relatively low molecular weight and high abundance the protein sequence was determined from purified protein over 30 years ago (1). The protein is made by oligodendrocytes in the central and nervous system, so antibodies to MBP are good markers of this cell type. In the peripheral nervous system MBP is expressed by myelinating Schwann cells so this antibody can be used to identify these cells in culture or sections. In the central nervous system four different forms of the protein made by alternate transcription from a single gene, the protein products having molecular weights of 21.5, 20.5, 18.5, and 17.2kDa in humans. The single gene of rodents also produces 4 different proteins, but of slightly different sizes, 21.5, 18.5, 17 and 14kDa. Some interest has focused on MBP as a potentially significant auto-antigen involved in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS, 3) and in human patients (4). Detection of MBP released into blood and CSF has some potential as a surrogate biomarker of demyelination and axonal loss in MS and other relevant damage and disease states (e.g. 5).
The CPCA-MBP antibody was made against a preparation of MBP purified from bovine brain. It can be used to identify oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells in neural cell culture, to visualize myelin sheaths and myelinating cells in sections and to probe western blots for MBP gene products. The antibody is also rather insensitive to aldehyde fixation and so can be used in immunohistochemistry of paraffin sections. The antibody binds all four of isoforms of MBP on western blots. In contrast our mouse monoclonal MCA-7D2 binds only the 21.5kDa and 18.5kDa rat isotypes, mapping the epitope to the product on one exon, while our MCA-7G7 binds all four isoforms. We also market a goat polyclonal antibody to MBP GPCA-MBP. A sequence alignment of the four CNS MBP isotypes in human and rat can be downloaded from here. Mouse select image at left for larger view.
Immunofluorescent analysis of rat brain cerebellum section stained with chicken pAb to Myelin Basic Protein (MBP), CPCA-MBP, dilution 1:5,000 in red, and costained with moue mAb to calbindin, MCA-4H7, MCA-4H7, dilution 1:5,000 in green. This is a higher magnification view of the specimen shown on the product home page. The blue is Hoechst staining of nuclear DNA. The MBP antibody stains myelin sheath around axons, while the calbindin antibody prominently labels dendrites and perikarya of Purkinje cells in the molecular layer of the cerebellum.
Chromogenic Immunostaining of a formalin fixed paraffin embedded rat cerebellum section with chicken pAb to Myelin Basic Protein (MBP), CPCA-MBP, dilution 1:20,000, detected in DAB (brown) following the ABC method. Hematoxylin (blue) was used as the counterstain. The MBP antibody stains oligodendrocytes and myelin sheathes around axons. Mouse select image for larger view.
Immunofluorescent analysis of rat brain cerebellum section stained with chicken pAb to myelin basic protein (MBP), CPCA-MBP, dilution 1:5,000 in green, and costained with rabbit pAb to NF-L, RPCA-NF-L, dilution 1:5,000 in red. The MBP antibody stains oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheathes around axons. NF-L antibody labels dendrites and axons of neuronal cells in the molecular and granule layers.
Immunofluorescent analysis of cortical neuron-glial cell culture from E20 rat stained with chicken pAb to MBP, CPCA-MBP dilution 1:2,000 in red. The blue is DAPI staining of nuclear DNA. CPCA-MBP antibody stains developing oligodendrocytes, cells, that form myelin around axons in the central nerve system.
Press here for high magnification confocal image of this antibody on rat cerebellar white matter showing oligodendrocyte cell body and myelin sheaths. The myelin sheathes are hollow tubes and so appear as “tramlines” in this image.
To download a sequence alignment of the 4 human and rat MBP isotypes link to here.
1. Eylar EH, et al. Basic A1 protein of the myelin membrane. The complete amino acid sequence. J. Biol. Chem. 246:5770-84 (1971).
2. Marty MC, et al. The myelin basic protein gene is expressed in differentiated blood cell lineages and in hemopoietic progenitors. PNAS 99:8856-61 (2002).
3. Libbey JE, Fujinami RS. Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis as a Testing Paradigm for Adjuvants and Vaccines. Vaccine 29:3356–62 (2011).
4. Wucherpfennig KW, Strominger JL. Molecular mimicry in T cell-mediated autoimmunity: Viral peptides activate human T cell clones specific for myelin basic protein. Send to
Cell 80:695-705 (1995).
5. Berger RP, et al. Serum neuron-specific enolase, S100B, and myelin basic protein concentrations after inflicted and noninflicted traumatic brain injury in children. J. Neurosurg. 103:61-8 (2005).
